New Delhi: In a huge relief to Maharashtra's Minister of State for Transport Gulabrao Deokar, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Mumbai High Court order, which had cancelled his bail for his alleged involvement into the Rs 46 crore old housing scam.

After going through the petition of Deokar, a division bench of the Apex Court issued notice to the Maharashtra government and fixed the matter for further hearing till August 21.

Following an FIR got registered against Deokar in 2006, he was arrested, but was granted bail by a Bombay lower court. But his bail was cancelled by the Bombay High Court. Challenging the order, Deokar had moved the Supreme Court for relief.

The 15-year-old housing scam is being investigated by Mumbai’s special police team. Deokar was the presiding officer of Jalgaon Municipal Council (JMC) when the alleged housing scam happened.

Investigators say that the alleged scam happened in the construction of over 11,000 low cost houses which were promised to be built by the JMC. Former housing minister Sureshdada Jain has also been arrested in this case earlier and is out on bail.

Deokar belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party and was made a minister in 2009. He was a corporator of the JMC between 1995 and 2000.